2

I'm new to joomla theme development. I've heard of Joomla Theme Development with Bootstrap, but I don't know the details of that, unfortunately...

Can Bootstrap help me develop a robust responsive Joomla 2.x & 3.x compatible Theme within a short time?-- say 8 weeks or are there other options available ?? is Bootstrap suitable for latest versions of Joomla only or otherwise?

how to start both joomla 2.x & 3.x responsive theme development? which framework to use or just from scratch?

I'm confused, I need some experts opinion here plz....

Improve this question
4
  • 2
    I wouldn't bother at all to make any new Joomla 2.5 compatible extensions anymore.
    – FFrewin
    Commented Aug 11, 2015 at 13:17
  • I'm asking you again, even if I use frameworks other than Bootstrap, how long will that take for me to complete a responsive theme? can i do that within ~8 weeks? plz specify your answer on that also...thanking @Lodder
    – Ehsanz Prof01
    Commented Aug 11, 2015 at 14:37
  • 3
    Are you asking me, how long will it take for you to complete a responsive theme and to specify time? Actually, there is not a single and simple answer to a such general question, but if you want a time range it can be from a few hours to several weeks, depending on the requirements and the features of the template. Also the experience and how efficient someone is with the technologies involved is a major factor.
    – FFrewin
    Commented Aug 11, 2015 at 15:09
  • 1
    @ehsanz - Sorry but FFrewin is right. A question like that cannot be answered. It's a bit like me asking you how long it will take me to build a house. You knowledge of PHP, HTML, CSS and Joomla will determine the time it will take. Please also bare in mind that if you don't already have a design to go by, you will also need time to think of the creative. If you're new to template development and only have 8 weeks, I'd suggest using an extremely simple template and building on top of it
    – Lodder
    Commented Aug 11, 2015 at 22:24

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
3

Right, you're new to development, so the first thing you should know is, Joomla 2.5 reached the end of life and is no longer officially supported. Whether extension/theme developers wish to carry in supporting this version of Joomla is up to them, but I highly recommend you don't start to support it for a new project.

Also, Bootstrap was not used in Joomla 2.5, therefore would not be able to make full use of the Joomla API methods to include Bootstrap features, thus making your life harder.

Even though Bootstrap was introduced in Joomla 3.x, it doesn't mean you have to use it. My personal opinion of it, is it does what it's supposed to do very well, but it's too common now and everyone seems to be using it, and everyone's site looks the same.

I'd firstly suggest having a look around at some other frameworks. A personal favorite is UIKit (developed by Yootheme). You could also use Yootheme's Master 2 Theme (Demo Package or Template)

If it's simply a responsive grid you wish to use, you may also want to consider using only the grid of your chosen framework and stripping out all other code to improve performance.

You could also take a copy of the Joomla 3.x Protostar template which utilizes Bootstrap, else I'd suggest looking at other developers templates to get an idea of the structure.

Hope this helps

Improve this answer
6
  • Lodder, the Ulkit link you posted it takes to a non-value page.
    – FFrewin
    Commented Aug 11, 2015 at 13:19
  • thanks for your answer, I'd definitely take notice to that...
    – Ehsanz Prof01
    Commented Aug 11, 2015 at 14:34
  • +1 for UIKit -some really useful utilities and a great responsive grid. Use it outside of Joomla development as well now
    – codinghands
    Commented Aug 12, 2015 at 9:02
  • @codinghands - Agreed. I too use it outside of Joomla. Especially the JS components which come in extremely handy
    – Lodder
    Commented Aug 12, 2015 at 9:04
  • Another thing I'd like to ask (after reading thru several forums & discussions)... can I also integrate PHP Laravel web apps with Joomla 3.x modules?
    – Ehsanz Prof01
    Commented Aug 24, 2015 at 14:44
2

If you're already familiar with bootstrap before then the default joomla template protostar is the best place for you to start. It's very easy to follow the protostar code, and will give you basic idea on how the joomla template framework works.

I'm myself not an anti-external-template-framework, but in my opinion, the native joomla template framework is already powerful for anything you need for designing a website.

Most of external template frameworks are developed by template provider companies that need something that can adapt their specific needs and workflow, to make easier for them to deliver templates every month. Most of them use their own method to extend the native template framework which can lead you to a complicated and non-native things, if you're new to joomla template development.

Improve this answer
2
  • this is one of the Fear-Factor I've in approaching Joomla template design, can you kindly recommend me any good resource in learning Joomla core template framework architecture, within a recommendable period of short time? thanking you in advance...
    – Ehsanz Prof01
    Commented Aug 24, 2015 at 14:47
  • There are a lot of tutorials on the net about Joomla template design. You can just google it. But as I mentioned above, protostar is a good for you to start. It's a good Joomla starter template. I'd suggest you to try to convert your bootstrap html theme to joomla template by using protostar as the base template. When you have a problem, just ask here at SE
    – webchun
    Commented Aug 25, 2015 at 1:41

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.